Re: Fwd: [DISCUSSION] Proposal: Official PHP Language Server (LSP Implementation)

> On Oct 31, 2025, at 10:50, Dan Jessen <danjessen@gmail.com> wrote: > >  > Hello everyone, > > I’d like to start a discussion about the potential for PHP to have an official Language > Server, implementing the Language Server Protocol (LSP) — similar to what other programming > languages already provide (e.g.. Go’s gopls, Elixir’s Expert, etc.). > > This is not yet a formal RFC, but rather an exploration of whether there’s community interest > in such a concept, and what form it could take if we agreed it’s worth pursuing. > > Background / Motivation > Currently, PHP developers rely on various third-party or editor-specific language servers, > including Psalm, Intelephense, and phpactor. These tools are impressive, but they differ in > capabilities, maintenance status, and licensing (some are commercial). > Additionally, several editors (e.g. VS Code, PhpStorm) implement their own non-standardized > integrations. > > By contrast, many modern languages now provide an official language server as part of their > toolchain. For example: > Go: gopls > Elixir: Expert (official successor to the community-built ElixirLS) > Rust: rust-analyzer > TypeScript: TypeScript Server > These servers improve consistency, tooling integration, and accessibility — independent of > any specific IDE or vendor. > > Why PHP Could Benefit > Toolchain Completeness > A programming language should ideally include its own ecosystem of core tools — including > syntax checking, testing, and language intelligence. > Editor Independence > PHP is often associated with PhpStorm because of its strong analysis features. An official LSP > would level the playing field, enabling advanced features in any editor that supports the protocol. > Standardization > A unified and standardized LSP implementation would reduce fragmentation and improve > interoperability across IDEs and plugins. > Accessibility and Onboarding > Lowering the barrier for new developers by providing consistent, out-of-the-box editor support. > > Existing Building Blocks > The PHP runtime already provides components that could serve as a foundation — e.g. php -l > for syntax checking, reflection APIs, AST via php-ast, and insights from static analysis tools like > Psalm or PHPStan. > > This wouldn’t necessarily mean rewriting existing tools, but defining a common standard — > potentially leveraging or integrating with those efforts. > > Next Steps > I’m not currently in a position to build such a server myself, but I’d like to open a > discussion around: > Whether this aligns with PHP’s roadmap and philosophy. > Any prior work or discussion on the topic. > The potential scope — e.g., core toolchain addition, PECL extension, or standalone PHP > project under the official organization. > If there’s interest, I’d be happy to draft a more formal RFC to outline possible goals, > structure, and implementation paths. > > Thanks for reading — I’d really appreciate your thoughts, pointers to prior work, or any > guidance on how best to take this forward. > > Best regards, > Dan Would such a thing need to be in php-src, or could it be started as a separate code base? IOW, could this be an independent project maintained outside of internals and donated to the PHP project? Cheers, Ben